iAm: Louisa Koh

A 30-something from sunny Singapore who's tried her hand at lots of things, such as selling skin care & make-up, working in a (boring) corporate setting, trying to carve a singing career, giving private tuition, being a fitness instructor, writing/editing etc...

Besides exasperating her parents to no end, she loves experimenting with new make-up looks, uncovering the best make-up & skin care products, modelling for herself before the camera, singing at the top of her lungs (with preferably no one to hear it), and writing whatever, whenever (as you can already tell).

Irresistible Great Singapore Sale beauty buys

OMG ladies, the GSS season is coming really soon! What does this mean for those of us who are crazy about beauty, fashion and the like? 😛

Okay, first things first… Warning: This is a *photo-heavy* (please click on individual photos to enlarge) beauty post: I’ve always believed that the quickest and cheapest way to make an impression is by wearing LIPSTICK. No ladies, you did not read me wrong here… I mean, wearing lipstick is so therapeutic (for us) and awe-inspiring (for others):

See what I mean? Even if you’re on a budget this GSS, you can still score something that packs a terrific punch like, YES, a LIPSTICK. Or at least, that’s what I have been doing myself, LOL! So yes, as you can tell from my previous post, I have been on a witch-hunt for lipsticks on Carousell, online, etc.

Guess what I got my hands on at ZALORA Singapore this time round? As you might already be able to tell, I’ve been going a bit gaga over the matte lipstick trend. I treated myself to two new matte lippies from the Sephora beauty section at ZALORA: Sephora Color Lip Last in 04 Brown Is Back (which is described as “pinky light brown” in colour on the website), and NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in SMLC08 San Paulo (which was described as “plummy pink” but unfortunately sold out within the first few days).

Review: Sephora Color Lip Last 04 Brown Is Back

I’d touch on my thoughts for Sephora Color Lip Last No. 04 Brown is Back first, since there are still 3 pieces left on ZALORA Singapore (yup, so hurry ladies before they run out!).

Sephora Color Lip Last in No. 04 Brown is Back, a pinky light brown

The packaging states it’s a 10-hour-wear matte lipstick that’s highly pigmented and waterproof. While I didn’t exactly time how long the colour lasted on me, what I found was that applying a lip primer prior to application helped set the lip colour and made it last longer through meals.

The only gripe I had about this colour was the condition of the product I received:

Slight scratches at the side of the lipstick when I first opened it

Other than that, which thankfully didn’t affect the product or its application in any way, the lipstick was lovely and had a distinct bubblegum scent which I found to be very delightful 😀

A bird’s-eye view of Sephora Color Lip Last 04 Brown is Back

Design-wise, a lipstick tube that’s slimmer than the average lipstick works wonders in preventing messy applications, as the slim shape helps in manoeuvring around the contours of the lips better.

Close-up of Sephora Brown is Back on lips

Colour-wise, Brown Is Back is a predominantly brown lip colour with hints of pink at certain angles, lighting and depending on how many coats you apply. As you apply more coats, the colour tends to be more brown than pink.

Sephora Brown Is Back at a certain lighting/angle

I found that it was relatively comfortable to wear and not as drying as some other matte lipsticks out there (but I will not name names). This is quite a huge deal for me because my lips are tending towards very parched and dry nowadays due to the skin meds I am on. So while I love the look and the long-lasting wear of matte lipsticks, I don’t want them to exacerbate my already-dry lips.

Sephora Brown Is Back in a different lighting

At S$21 a pop, the Sephora Color Lip Last matte lipstick which comes in a variety of other colours at ZALORA Singapore, is really reasonably affordable, I find.

I’ve also found that possibly due to my dry lips, the wear of matte lipsticks has been considerably reduced, unless I put on a lip primer nowadays. Hence the long-wear tests I have put these lippies through have been done with primer, which is something readers should note.

Review: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in San Paulo

On to the next lippie: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in SMLC08 San Paulo, a plummy pink. I think it’s great that Sephora and ZALORA x Sephora are now stocking NYX, although they did not carry the entire range of colours, which I found to be a pity because so many of these NYX matte lip cream shades are to die for.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in SMLC08 San Paulo

While searching for swatches online, there seemed to be a slight confusion in the spelling of the shade name: Some websites spelt it as “San Paulo”, some as “Sao Paulo”, but both refer to the same code number SMLC08. Also note the volume of product: 8 ml – which is a lot of product compared to Lime Crime Velvetine’s 2.6 ml!

NYX San Paulo corresponds to a code number of SMLC08

The applicator of this product is a sponge wand, not unlike Lime Crime’s Velvetine, which works well for a more precise application than that of the standard lipstick tube.

Sponge wand applicator of the NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream

NYX San Paulo is a very lovely warm medium to deep pink, which earned me compliments on Instagram! Although its description is “plummy pink” which suggests cool tones, I found it to be more warm-toned than cool. It was the rosy berry pink that I had been looking high and low for, ever since I saw Rui En wearing a similar colour on the drama series Life is Beautiful that ended its run fairly recently. It’s the kind of pink that adds a lovely pop of colour to the face without drawing too much attention to it, like red lipstick would. LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Close-up of 2 coats of NYX San Paulo on lips

I loved the smell of the product… It was a sweet (not overly cloying), vanilla-like scent. The lip cream went on like butter, and felt a tad powdery/waxy on application, but this settled into a comfortable, non-drying layer on the lips over my lip primer. The product was also comfortable to wear, and lasted decently throughout meal(s) with primer.

How NYX San Paulo looked on me in indoor lighting

For a lip cream with 8 ml of product in the tube and a very affordable price tag of S$12 compared to Lime Crime Velvetine’s 2.6 ml for USD20, no wonder they were all snapped up so quickly!

NYX San Paulo in softer, yellow indoor lighting

All in all, I’m really loving my lipstick choices from ZALORA Singapore x Sephora! 🙂 They’re an extremely affordable way to spruce up your look in a jiffy, compared to togs or shoes in general. So if there is just ONE ITEM that you should choose for the GSS if you’re someone on a budget especially, I would say GO FOR LIPSTICK! 😛

Remember gals, don’t miss the upcoming Great Singapore Sale online because there’s really something for everyone, what with the promo codes and discounts that ZALORA Singapore always puts out from time to time!